Here are some beautiful images of Montana Pride taken by my friend (and copyrighted by) Bobbie Zenker. Used with permission.
Enjoy!
Me and Patricia Nell Warren
MT Pride 2011 Photos
Category Archives: Montana
Pride Vigil (text)
I had some requests to put up the text for the Pride Vigil for Memory, Strength and Hope which we did on Saturday night at The Emerson. There will be more to come, but before I put Gregory and Patricia on the airplane, I’ll just post this here….
The darkness can be frightening.
We have sometimes been very afraid here in the State of Montana, because at times, it has been very, very dark.
We have lost good men and women and children to HIV/AIDS.
We have been bullied and teased and yes, driven from our very homes and schools and communities. We have been killed and we have killed ourselves. We have been legislated against and told by official political platforms that we are criminals.
We have been hurt here under this big, dark sky.
But there is light.
There are people whose bravery have driven away darkness. Whose voices refuse to give in to hopelessness or complacency or fear. You know those voices in your lives. You also are those voices. And when we use our voices to proclaim the goodness of our lives and the lives of our brothers, sisters, parents, children and friends- the light grows stronger.
The bravery is here.
Look around you now. Look at the strength that surrounds us.
Look at the light. Now share the light.
(candles lighted)
This light is in your hands. It belongs to you. It has always belonged to you.
Share it. And remember the lives that have lived with pain to bring us here- to this place of hope and triumph.
Now we take a moment to remember our loves, our losses, our reasons for hope. (silence)
Today is a gorgeous day in Montana History, because the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Two-Spirited People and our Allies will not let this light die.
We will not be afraid.
We will stand up when we are told to lie down.
We will speak when anyone tries to shame us into silence.
We will remain when we are told to leave.
We will proclaim the truth.
Firmly and gently and clearly and proudly.
The truth that we are light.
And that light makes Montana more beautiful, not less. More.
If you believe it, say Amen!
If you promise to live it, say Amen!
If you promise to not give up, say Amen!
I hear the dance music next door, and I’m reminded of the words of Joe Jervis:
They wish we were invisible.
We’re not.
Let’s Dance!
Montana Pride 2011
(Click here for info)
We’re gearing up! Patricia and Gregory Hinton arrive today from Cali, and I’ve been cleaning and putting away all the stuff we can’t hide in the garage- boy it takes a long time to unpack… Besides all the eventse’re also hosting a Barbecue fundraiser for the Pride Foundation on Sunday. Needless to say, I’ll be busier than a hooker on Dollar Day- so posts will be a bit light, but I promise a recap next week.
Anyway, the Montana Pride Schedule is available here, just click the picture. Please check for info regarding events, bios, etc. I am especially excited about Out West Montana’s event at the Bozeman Public Library on Saturday. Patricia’s a great story teller, and I’m sure it’ll be a great hit.
So have funIf you see me, say HI!
HRC, GLAAD, Montana and Lady Gaga
Some clarifications about yesterday’s post– especially addressing the concerns and comments from the same post on LGBTQ Nation:
They do some great things, but HRC did not do its homework. The Montana GOP was first in it’s criminalization plank, back in the mid-90′s according to Bowen Greenwood on Brian Kahn’s Home Ground (Yellowstone Public Radio, Sept 2010). According to its press release, HRC thinks Montana copied Texas. The reality is that Texas either copied Montana or sadly, came up with it on its own.
http://www.ypradio.org/programs/local/home_ground.html
GLAAD did not report on the this issue until September 20, 2010 when the Montana AP went national with this issue.
http://www.glaad.org/page.aspx?pid=1871
They knew about it in mid June 2010 , when the Montana 2010 GOP Plank was issued.
If Lady Gaga knew that Montana, Wyoming and Idaho were not on the radar of the national gay rights agenda, I wonder how fast the shit would hit the fan…. The fact is, there is a priority system in favor of numbers- not ideology, among the big gay rights organizations. And sexy publicity that makes noise and press gets the action- not oppressive legislation or codified bigotry affecting only a fraction of the population.
It’s not right. All persecuted human beings in the USA deserve equal support- even in the less populous states.
That’s all my post was supposed to say. That’s all I want- equal treatment for all by the equal rights organizations to which I belong. Not third-class citizenship based on where someone happens to be born, work or live.
I am a member of HRC. I have been for years. I am not ready to give up on them- or GLAAD, not yet- but I do want them to know that we are paying attention out here.
And, hopefully, you are, too.
Disturbed? Run For Office!
A friend recently drew my attention to some of the similarities between the recently announced KKK GOP Congressional candidate in Montana and some of the extremist members of the Republican Party in the Montana Legislature. I thought I’d share a few with you. So, just to catch you up:
John Abarr, a former organizer for the KKK, filed to run in the Republican primary for Montana’s congressional seat on May 25, 2011. (More info here: http://helenair.com/news/article_613dd194-8cdc-11e0-9dfc-001cc4c002e0.html)
Abarr’s ties to the KKK have been well documented. Of his affiliation with the Klan, he has said:
“It’s not any different than the NAACP,” he says. “The Klan is basically a civil rights organization that stands up for the rights of white people. The Montana Human Rights Network likes to blow everything out of proportion.”
Gotta love the logic. Republicans, such as gubernatorial candidate Rick Hill have tried to distance themselves from this guy. However, after this legislative session in Montana, it’s hard to deny the fact that he is well within the extremist wing of the Republican party.
LGBT Issues
Abarr has also called for the deportation of gays, lesbians and Jewish people: http://missoulanews.bigskypress.com/missoula/etc/Content?oid=1133942 And, as I’ve reported numerous times, the Montana Republican Party Platform calls for the re-criminalization of gay people in the state:
“We support the clear will of the people of Montana expressed by legislation to keep homosexual acts illegal.”
During the Legislative session, Republicans refused to remove language that had been ruled unconstitutional by both the state and federal supreme courts calling for the criminalization of gays and lesbians from Montana law. And they made disgusting comments on the bill :
Some Republicans even denied that the courts had struck down the statute.
HIV/AIDS
According to the Human Rights Network, Abarr sent a flier to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle in 2007, urging Bozeman residents to stay inside to avoid contracting HIV during the Montana Pride Celebration. He claimed that HIV could be transmitted by air.
During the most recent legislative session, Republican House Speaker Pro Tempe, Rep. Janna Taylor claimed people in prison were spreading HIV by blowdarts: http://www.youtube.com/watchv=igYKflAdzjo&feature=channel_video_title
Racial Minorities
“I’ve pretty much decided since I spent some time in California that it (a pure white Christian nation) is just not gonna be. I mean there’s so many of them (racial minorities),” Abarr says, adding that in Montana it’s easier to achieve an all-white society.”
Republican Rep. James Knox introduced a bill that would redefine what a citizen of Montana is and essentially ignore the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution. This bill would have likely removed citizenship from Native Americans and the children of immigrants in the state.
Convinced? I’ll bet there’s more if you look.
The key to redefining politics in this state is to redefine politicians. We effectively tied the hands of the most effective tool (building relationships) by enacting term limits. There is no longer any reason for any of our state legislators to cultivate relationships for the good of the people of the State of Montana- instead, people are just interested in ramming their own crazy-ass agendas through the legislative process.
Reason will only prevail when we elect reasonable people- people who are interested in communicating, are not threatened by differences and will work to guarantee a future in this state for all its people- not just a few…
HIV Spike In Montana?
The Billings Gazette is reporting a spike in positive HIV tests done by RiverStone Health clinic:
Six new positive tests were reported between March 24 and April 18, compared to nine new cases in all of 2007 and 2010. The newly diagnosed cases include five men and one woman, ranging in age from 24 to 43. In three of the cases, there was a history of intravenous drug use. The remaining three cases were sexually transmitted, according to RiverStone Health officials.
We know there are Montanans who are HIV-positive and have never been tested, or have been tested and for some reason, have never entered care.
HIV is a manageable disease. The sooner HIV-positive persons enters care and begins treatment, the less likely they are to have more difficult health issues later on in life. And because of lowering the amount of HIV in their bodies with medication, they are much less likely to transmit the virus.
Click here for more info...
Full story here.
Then, think about getting tested- and encouraging those you love to do the same.
More Heat For Rehberg?
Nah, that would mean investigative journalism from the local mainstream media.
Pogie:
You certainly have to love the Montana media and Montana’s Congressman. The former never felt it necessary to cover the national news that Rehberg called Pell Grants welfare but decided he should get an op-ed in every newspaper defending his position, while the latter is pretending to be reforming Pell Grants when all he is doing is working to cut them, increasing college costs for students and families.
Read it and weep. Or, better idea- start a Montana newspaper and get a multimillionaire to fund your investigative journalism team….
He’s For Them, But He’s Against Them
source: AP/Lisa Kunkel
Poor Denny Rehberg. So misunderstood.
So easy to do.
Over at Cowgirl, a letter to the editor of the Dillon Tribune- and Rehberg’s response(?)-appear.
The subject is/are Pell Grants (against which Rehberg was/is), Western’s Commencement (out of which Rehberg backed) and Rehberg’s defense of Pell Grants (which are for students who are students- we just can’t have too many students, it’s welfare.).
Then join me in taking a Rehberg break in honor of the First of May.
The Joke (on us) Has (at least for now) Ended.
Yes, folks, the circus that was the 62nd Legislature of the State of Montana has been officially closed.
It was one of the most contentious sessions in memory- and one of the most publicized. Sadly, for Republicans, it was mostly at their expense. Republican lawmakers introduced the most ridiculed and bigoted legislation in Montana history- giving the state its fair share of national media attention. Only some of it good.
Mostly it was about third-rate candidates such as Billy Bob Wagner, who introduced legislation to reinstate the gold standard, and was laughed at nationally on Anderson Cooper 360 for his ridiculous “birther” bill (but mostly for his stupidity). Then there was Kris Hansen, a “secret lesbian” who introduced one of the most pro-discrimination legislative actions to ever hit the aisles of the Capitol. Mary Cheney, anyone? And the Montana GOP, for no good reason other than to perpetuate hate and shame, voted to keep The Gays illegal- and we heard some of the most disgusting testimony to ever foul a Capitol microphone.
And don’t forget (as if I could) Janna Taylor’s ridiculous, ignorant and dangerous comments about HIV in the Montana prison system. In my opinion, the defining moment of the session. And that is a short list of all the craziness perpetuated at the time and expense of the people of Montana-a better list is here.
But I want to take a minute to thank the legislators who spent a great deal of their time and energy standing up for the rights of Montanans. Diane Sands, Carol Williams, Christine Kaufmann and Bryce Bennett all spent a lot of time defending equality and testifying against discrimination, bigotry and homophobia in this session. If you see any of them, thank them. Buy them a drink.
Hell, give them a kidney if they need one.
It is folks such as these- and all who testified, protested, blogged and wrote letters-, who keep our freedoms alive- and who stand in the face of political bigotry and chicanery. And let’s not forget Jamee Greer, Mike Wessler, Niki Zupanic and all the representatives of groups who lobbied for human equality- they get all the abuse, ridicule and sleepless nights, but not enough recognition. Drinks and kidneys for them, too.
Let’s give Carol Williams the last word (for now):
“I’m proud of our work.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I will wish you luck in the next session probably trying to fix a lot of the things we broke this time.”
Osage County At The Myrna
Tonight, Ken and I are off to attend the closing night of August: Osage County at The Myrna Loy Center in Helena. I’m really looking forward to seeing some theater and also getting to see my friend John Rausch in action.
When I lived in Helena, The Myrna was an important oasis for me- it served off-brand movies, lectures, plays and entertainment that were an important way to connect with the larger world- and I’m delighted to be going back.
For those of you who don’t know, Hollywood legend Myrna Loy was from Radersburg, just outside Helena, and along with Gary Cooper, always claimed Montana as home. In addition to her acting career, she was an early champion of human rights and crusader against McCarthyism. I find it delightful that this woman is still inspiring excellent local entertainment and global awareness through the building and organization that bears her name. Support them!
From Eternity To Here 